Tell
by Mrs. HopeEstheim
Summary: Not for the first time, she just wanted to tell him. .:Mira x Fried:. He couldn't just tell her...could he?
1. Introduction

**Okay. Here goes nothing!**

**And just so you know; I own nothing. Fairy Tail is Hiro Mashima-sensei's creation! I'm just borrowing his characters to fit my own storyline. So. Yeah, hope you like it!**

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><p>Mirajane giggled at the distraught blonde sprawled across her bar. Lucy Heartfilia was a joy to have around, that's for sure. Before Lisanna's return, she'd been a bright bubble to mend a few of the still opened wounds, but even after the youngest white-haired sibling had returned from her sojourn in Edolas, Lucy was a great addition to Fairy Tail. The barmaid discovered that she found it hard to even imagine the guild <em>without<em> either of them; Lucy or Lisanna. Mira loved Lisanna and had missed her desperately, so it was only natural that she be ecstatic to have her sister alive and well and back in their midst, but Lucy seemed like a little sister now, too. It didn't hurt that the girls got along marvelously well, Lisanna giving the blonde pointers on how to handle Natsu at times and teasingly cajoling her about her not-so-subtle crush on the flame-brained dragon slayer.

The oldest of the take-over mage siblings enjoyed watching the interactions of her sister and almost-sister. The way Lisanna teased Lucy made it clear that she didn't like Natsu as more than a friend, and the glances that she cast toward a certain member of the Raijinshuu only confirmed Mira's suspicions. Though Mirajane _did_ think her younger sister could do better than Bixlow, she didn't condemn Lisanna for her choice, because she could also do much, _much_ worse than him.

Besides, she didn't really have room to reprimand her sister for choices in men.

She hadn't fallen for the one who had made all of them fight each other when Laxus had attempted to forcefully take over the guild; Lisanna hadn't fallen for Fried Justine.

And really, Mira couldn't condemn him for the things he'd done in the past, because she could still remember her days as the 'Demon' Mirajane. Perhaps her crimes hadn't been as bad as his–in fact, her only crime was being like the Gray to Erza's Natsu. Or, in simpler terms, she had been Erza's rival. Certainly, there was no shame in that, but for the new, gentle Mira, it was only natural that she be ashamed of her former personality. She was changed now, and she wasn't going to let herself completely return to her old self. Only in times of dire need would she allow herself to take on her Satan Soul form. It was a sort of repentance, and had been since she and Elfman and the entire guild had thought that Lisanna had been lost. Until the Laxus incident, when she had fought Fried (prior to falling for him, in fact), she had been actually _unable_ to delve into her power. Only when her precious family was threatened did she break through whatever barrier had been there, and even after that she was able to control herself and failed to strike a fatal blow.

She had control of herself. It had been crumbling upon an increasingly unstable foundation after Lisanna had faded away, trickling to the Edolas side without her siblings' knowledge. But now Mirajane had control. Her little sister was back, and the guild was unthreatened. She could breathe easier for the time being.

Mira turned to the blonde, still sprawled on the shiny, freshly polished countertop.

"Is something wrong, Lucy?" she asked in her sweet tone, smiling at the disheveled individual. The celestial mage groaned and lifted her head in order to peer through chocolate eyes at the older woman. There were bags under the brown orbs, and the girl in question sighed exasperatedly.

"What am I supposed to do with him?" Lucy nearly whined. There was only one person the blonde ever complained like this about, and it was her partner (and crush, though she denied it), Natsu Dragneel. Mira cast a glance at Lisanna, who sat nearby, and the two shared an all-knowing grin at the poor girl's expense.

"You're not used to it yet?" Lisanna asked, sliding over to sit by her blonde friend. "You told me yourself that he's been sneaking in through your window for over a year in the middle of the night, and you still lose sleep over it? Jeez, Lucy. This is Fairy Tail, remember? You've got to learn to be a lot more adaptable than that."

"I'm used to it!" Lucy waved her hands in the air, agitatedly. "Trust me. I'm so used to it that sometimes I don't even wake up when he sneaks in anymore, which could be bad if it were really some sort of burglar sometime! No, it's when he comes to me in the middle of the night and begs for _three hours_. For what? For a _job_. No matter what I tell him, he won't give up until the morning, so he keeps me awake all night until he can grab me and drag me here to pick a mission. He talks all night, so I hardly get any sleep, and then pulls me here, only to decide that _he's not interested in the requests available_!"

Lisanna snorted in an unladylike manner, and Mira hid the giggle behind her hand as she picked up a glass to clean with her handy towel. Really, that girl had such an adorable angry face that Mirajane had no idea how the dragon slayer had resisted so long. It was obvious to almost everyone in the guild but the two people in question that they were meant for each other. All that was left was for them to realize it themselves, which could take a while, with as dense as they are to each other's feelings.

"Tell him you won't go on the jobs with him unless he lets you sleep," Lisanna suggested with a shrug. "Won't that work? Or have you tried it?"

"I thought if I said that he'd whine and complain and _still_ keep me awake," the blonde replied pathetically, resting her chin lethargically on her palm. The two white-haired sisters both laughed, Mira's a bell-like sound that attracted green eyes from across the guild without her knowledge. It was often that her blue eyes trailed in his direction, but they didn't ever meet his gaze.

It was kind of comical how often they glanced at each other yet never made eye contact.

"Try it sometime," Lisanna suggested.

"You never know until you try," the older one agreed, smiling angelically at Lucy. "Besides, did you ever think that maybe he just wants to keep you as close as he can? You're his best friend and his partner, Lucy. Not to mention he might like you."

"No!" Lucy shot up so quickly that she made herself dizzy, but pointed an accusing finger at Mirajane. "Don't you _dare_ start that again!"

Lisanna, who had heard all about the, "Don't you think Natsu might like you?" incident that her older sister had provoked, shoved her fist against her mouth to stifle her laughter. It was funny from even a friend's point of view. Just how oblivious could the two of them be?

"But, Lucy!" Mira frowned, pulling up her pouting face that got a lot of people. Her lower lip was stuck out in an endearing manner, and she widened her eyes to have that bright, innocent sort of look. "It's _true_! I think Natsu likes you!"

The blonde vigorously shook her head, not noticing her tormenter's younger sister trying hard not to fall off of a nearby stool. Mira got some sort of pleasure from causing this kind of reaction. Maybe it was mean, perhaps a little cruel, but it was just so fun to play with the celestial mage's mind in this manner. A matchmaker at heart, Mira also couldn't just dismiss Lucy's denial. No, she had to attempt to make the girl see sense and understand just how much her hotheaded nakama really meant to her.

Lucy made an excuse and fled, and Lisanna finally laughed out loud again.

"Was that really necessary, Sis?" she asked when she was able to breathe.

Widening her eyes innocently and blinking, Mirajane asked, "What did I do?"

As she said this, her eyes strayed back to the green-haired man of her affections, and not for the first time, she just wanted to _tell him_. Tell him how she felt. But she returned her attention to her giggling sister and brought out another of her gentle smiles, shoving the urge to confess aside. She was an adult, and she would have time for such silly things some other time.

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><p>At the sound of Mirajane's laugh, the green-haired Fried Justine immediately turned his attention towards her. Just by her body language, and how the blonde girl in front of her was reacting, he could automatically tell that Mira was going into matchmaker mode, and felt pity for Lucy. Lisanna wasn't helping her friend, merely laughing and trying to stifle the sounds as her older sister teased the unsuspecting celestial mage.<p>

Fried had to admit that this devious side of Mirajane was rather attractive in his eyes.

The leader of the Raijinshuu knew that he had done many things wrong in the past, like blindly following Laxus when he should have listened to what his own heart told him to do. He hadn't felt right when he was forcing all of the Fairy Tail family to fight each other, but he, as well as Evergreen and Bixlow, all looked up to Laxus. They didn't dare defy him, and the others didn't seem to regret it as much as he did, but Fried would never forget. He'd never forget the pure rage he'd witnessed Mira show when she'd defeated him.

His life had been in her hands, and she'd given it back to him.

All along he had known that Mira was too gentle to kill someone, and it was practically an unspoken and unwritten rule in Fairy Tail that they didn't take lives, but he had really feared for his own in that instant. When she bore down on him, angry beyond his comprehension, he'd seen the 'Demon' Mirajane, and it was thanks to this sight that he was once more fully aware of what it meant to be part of the family. Since that fateful encounter, he'd done his utmost to atone for his mistakes, all the while with that nagging feeling pulling at the back of his mind, on his heart. He didn't want to admit it. Fried wanted to be able to deny this feeling like Lucy denied hers, but he couldn't.

Yes, Fried Justine had fallen for the Demon.

"You really need to stop staring, y'know?"

"Stop staring!"

"Stop staring!"

"Y'know?"

"You really need to!"

"Stop staring!"

Bixlow had spoken, and his five seith dolls had chosen which lines to repeat. It was enough to pull the green eyes away from the white-haired woman and turn them on the mage in question, raising an eyebrow.

As though he hadn't been staring at all, Fried asked his teammate, "Did you say something?"

Evergreen just snorted and replied, "You know exactly what they said. And they're right, you know. You're just as obvious as Lucy and Natsu are!"

It would be lying if Fried said he hadn't been afraid of that fact. But being who he was, the young man kept his composure and idly tilted back his drink. The light liquor caused a gentle burning sensation, and he appreciated it. He savored the rare occasions when he drank, unlike the card mage who could be seen sitting on a table near the bar and chugging down a barrel of beer like there was no tomorrow.

"Don't pretend you can't hear us," Bixlow guffawed, and Fried knew that the other man in the Raijinshuu had already had a bit too much to drink. His five 'babies' mimicked his entire sentence this time, and the green-haired man kind of wanted to trap the lot of them in a soundproof barrier, so that he didn't need to deal with this.

"Fried," Evergreen's voice was low, almost deadly. "Don't ignore us when we're talking to you. Admit it; you're drooling over her."

"Drooling?" Fried once more arched an eyebrow, keeping every other part of his expression neutral. "I'm not drooling over anything, Ever. I'm merely admiring a charming example of human nature and beauty."

Bixlow snorted, but said, "At least you're admitting that you were staring at her."

"You were staring at her!" sounded out five additional times. The enamored male pretended that he couldn't hear them, and was immensely thankful that there was no one else in their general vicinity (though he did figure that Gajeel, the closest person, could hear the conversation because of his dragon slayer senses).

Without noticing, his eyes drifted back and admired the cheerful smile on the white-haired woman's face as she joyfully conversed with her little sister. Most likely, Fried thought with a smile, they were discussing the blonde who had fled the girls moments prior. Perhaps they were even plotting out ways to drive the fire dragon slayer and the celestial mage closer together, because everyone knew Mirajane's matchmaking tendencies. Most of the guild suspected Lisanna of being the mastermind matchmaker behind Gray and Juvia's blossoming romance, and behind Erza's sudden visit to the cell of her childhood friend, Jellal. Fried was one of those who did suspect her, and for good reason. All one had to do was look at how similar the younger girl and her older sister were acting as they watched Lucy go over to sit with Erza, Gray, Happy, Juvia, Wendy, Charle, and Natsu.

"We can't get through to him," Evergreen said exasperatedly, throwing her hands up. "Fried, just _grow a pair _and _tell her already_!"

She stood up and grabbed Bixlow, stalking away. Fried gaped like a fish out of water after them, not expecting Evergreen to just come out and say something like that. Once he realized the state of his wide open mouth, though, he snapped it closed and returned to enjoying his drink.

He couldn't just come out and _tell her_…could he?

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><p><strong>Okay. Updates may be kind of slow; I've got two NaLu fics going that I focus more on. But I was at a minor standstill for one of them and decided to start this. <strong>

**Like it? Don't? Why don't you tell me? R&R if you feel like it. **

**And yes, the first chapter is kind of dry. I apologize. **


	2. The Conspiracy

**So…there were some people who were excited about my Mira x Fried chaptered fic! YAY! (Is it weird that when I'm talking to myself, I give them the couple name thingy MiFri? Pronounced me-free. Because I thought it sounded adorable…)**

**Anyway, yeah. Chapter 2 of Tell! This is really just supposed to be a cutesy, fluffy, five-ish chapter thing. If enough people like it, though, there might be a new MiFri in the future! **

**Here we go!**

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><p>The youngest of Fairy Tail's three white-haired siblings slid over to the brunette Cana Alberona, who was drinking out of one of the barrels as though it was a simple shot glass, as per usual. When Cana looked up, it was to see the seventeen year old with a devious grin that was astoundingly similar to her sister's, and she smirked. If Lisanna's plans were anything like Mirajane's were, this was going to be fun.<p>

"Who are you trying to hook up?" the card mage asked, deeming this conversation important enough that she could bear to sit her beer down for a few minutes. "Natsu and Lucy?"

"No, Sis has that one handled," Lisanna waved her hand dismissively at Cana's assumption, and the brunette was instantly intrigued. Mira had been trying to get Natsu and Lucy together for over a year now, and Cana was used to her asking for help with those two (who were both as dense as doorknobs). But _this_…a new challenge? Pretty much irresistible.

"So who're the unlucky ones this time?"

Lisanna giggled, and Cana knew it was going to be good. And it got even better when Lisanna finally answered.

"We need to hook Fried up with my sister."

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><p>"Natsu again, Lucy?" Mirajane asked, wiping out a glass as her little sister took a break and went over to talk to Cana. The blonde in question had just slammed her head forcefully onto the wooden countertop.<p>

"_Ow_," Lucy moaned, but didn't lift her head. Mira had to stifle a giggle at the action. The girl's insistence that she _didn't_ like Natsu and _no_, she wasn't going to fall for him was exacting a toll on her, for sure. Or so the white-haired woman chose to think. Mirajane wasn't easily deterred from her matchmaking tendencies, and really, Natsu and Lucy were meant to be.

"It must be!" the takeover mage piped up cheerfully, tapping Lucy on the shoulder to get her to lift her head. Mira slid a few pills and a glass of water to the girl, smiling. "Now, take this or you'll get a headache, Lucy!"

_No,_ it must be noted that Mirajane was _not_ attempting to drug Lucy. As badly as the ex-S-class mage wanted the noisy dragonslayer with the sometimes whiny and complaining but generally cheerful celestial mage, she wasn't going to use _those_ tactics. The white-haired woman had full confidence in her abilities to get them together without resorting to that. Cana was the one who wanted to drug them until they admitted that they were perfect for each other, not Mira.

"Thanks, Mira," the blonde sighed, popping the pills into her mouth without a second thought (how easy, Mira sighed, it would be to drug the poor girl like Cana so desired…) and tipped the glass up to her lips.

"So…" the white-haired woman said, extending the word so that Lucy knew instantly what her topic was. "…what did Natsu do this time?"

"Does he have to do _anything_ out of the ordinary?" Lucy retorted, taking another drink of water. "He's Natsu."

_Ouch_, Mira thought. Poor Natsu. With a girl this dense, how was the even denser dragonslayer supposed to make any progress at all? Even with the help of the matchmaking Mira they had made little progress. It was a fact that somewhat depressed the normally cheerful barmaid, but she didn't let that show through. Whatever the case may be, Mirajane would never give up in this endeavor. The blonde celestial mage and the salmon-haired dragonslayer needed each other so much more than even Bisca needed Alzack (though Mira was determined to get them together at some point, too–after all, it was obvious that they liked each other!).

"Aren't you being a little too harsh on him, Lucy?"

Lucy was instantly wary at the sweet tone in Mirajane's voice, and the white-haired woman internally sighed. Why did everyone seem to see her matchmaking as dangerous, or even harmful to their health? They just couldn't see that she only had their best interests at heart.

"No," the blonde said firmly.

Mira followed the girl's chocolate eyes across the guild and nearly laughed out loud, but turned it into a dainty cough that didn't even distract the celestial mage.

Someone was floating down the Nile.

"Hey, Mira!" Levy called from three seats down, and the barmaid bounced over to her, a grin stretching across her beautiful features. The blue-haired mage matched that grin with an adorable one of her own. "You see that too, don't you?"

"Of course!" Mirajane was sure to keep her voice down, just like Levy had.

"Isn't it cute?" Levy squealed, but softly. "Lu-chan always denies that he's growing on her, but then she turns around and watches him from across the room! Don't you think there's something more than meets they eye about Natsu and Lu-chan? Don't you, Mira?"

The white-haired mage nodded enthusiastically, beaming at the younger mage who had realized the same things she had. She wasn't the only one to have thought the same as Mirajane, of course, but the matchmaker was still ecstatic. Perhaps the solid script mage, a close friend of the blonde girl in question, would help with Mira's plots to get them together? She could only hope, but with the blunette's reaction, Mira didn't think hoping was too far of a stretch.

"Do you want to help me?" Mirajane asked her quietly. Levy didn't even need to ask what Mira wanted help with; she saw the telltale matchmaking gleam in the white-haired woman's eyes. So all the blunette did was nod enthusiastically, letting a grin spread across her delicate features (and no, Mirajane did not miss a certain rough-around-the-edges dragonslayer turn his gaze away with flushed cheeks; she now had her next targets picked out). Outwardly, the takeover mage grinned and whispered, "I'll let you know the details later! Meet me when I take my lunch break!"

"Okay!" Levy nodded, beaming.

When Mira turned around to get the drink that Wakaba called for, a devious little grin spread across her face, just for a fleeting moment. Lisanna saw this as she stepped back behind the bar, and she knew things weren't going to be good for Natsu and Lucy, or for Levy and Gajeel. But then again, she thought as a smirk crossed her own features, her dear older sister would be getting a taste of her own medicine _very_ soon.

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><p>Cana Alberona watched as Mira and Levy stepped out of the guild as the barmaid took her lunch break. She caught Lisanna's eye, and the two of them shared a smirk. The few guild members who noticed were immediately quite frightened; the younger sister of the resident matchmaker (who, as they already knew, had some of those matchmaking qualities), and the resident alcoholic and part-time matchmaker…working <em>together<em>? It couldn't be good.

Though Evergreen, who noticed, smirked a little and, with a glance behind her at her teammates up on the second floor to make sure that Bixlow was still bugging Fried and that they wouldn't notice her departure, she made her way down to sit beside the brunette card mage.

"Who's the lucky guy?" she asked casually. Cana raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"I don't have a boyfriend," replied the card mage. Evergreen laughed.

"You and Lisanna are going to try to hook Mirajane up with someone," Evergreen tossed her wavy locks over one shoulder and smirked at the brunette beside her, "so _please_ tell me that it's Fried, because he's been mooning over her for weeks."

Cana's eyebrows shot way up, and she let a devious smirk worthy of Mirajane cross her features.

"Looks like we add another to the conspiracy…" she said.

Lounging back against the bar, Evergreen added, "Bixlow would be interested, too. As we speak, he's tormenting Fried about his feelings."

The card mage laughed and slung an arm around the female Raijinshuu member's shoulders, leaning to whisper a few of their plans into her ear. Another dreadful smirk spread across her face, and the members of Fairy Tail felt sorry for whoever their targeted brethren were.

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><p><strong>Yes, I know this falls short of chapter one, but this is meant to be a quick story…but this took me a few weeks to get out. So I cut it off here with the thought that shorter chapters will lead to faster updates. Another thing is that I can't bring myself to write much on my other stories when I'm on a writer's block for another, which is why this took so long. Since I'm stuck on Until She's Home Again (NaLu), I hated myself every time I opened this to type. But I'm trying to update my other stories as I puzzle through USHA ch 10.<strong>

**So, if the next update is a little delayed, please bear with me! This is just an on-the-side, a story I put on the back burners in favor of my NaLu stories. **

**Thanks for reading, though, and I hope you continue to enjoy Tell!**


	3. Plotting

**It's been waaaay too long! I'm so sorry. I hope this (probably rather short) chapter will be interesting enough to make up for it.**

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><p>Mirajane was in a <em>very<em> good mood on the particular Thursday in question. She was humming to herself as she swept prior to the first wave of guild members in the morning, twirling around and dancing with her broom as a partner. It was a strange way to show her excitement, perhaps, but the only person who had witnessed it so far were Lisanna, who was cleaning the bar's wooden surface, Elfman, who was replenishing the storerooms from the shipment that had just been delivered, and the Master, who had looked at her strangely for just a few seconds before heading up to his office.

"Sis…" Lisanna finally spoke up questioningly, and the elder white-haired sibling paused and turned to look at her.

"Yes?" she asked, bright and bubbly.

"If you don't mind me asking, Sis, why are you so…_happy_ this morning?"

Mirajane twirled around her dancing partner–the broom–with giddiness, giggling, as she replied, "If you had seen Natsu and Lucy last night, you'd understand, Lisanna!" the woman said, smiling widely. "I think it's safe to say that Levy's plan was a success!"

Lisanna couldn't help thinking she should have known, but she smiled and said, "That's wonderful!"

"Isn't it?" Mira bounced on the balls of her feet and returned to her sweeping dance. When Cana entered just a few moments later, she glanced over at her and in her cheerful tone said, "Welcome back, Cana!" while continuing to sweep. Dance. Whatever she was doing.

"…Mornin'…" Cana said, looking at Mira oddly as she made her way to Lisanna. The brunette slid into the stool in front of the white-haired girl and whispered, "What's up with your sister?"

Lisanna kind of giggled, but replied, "Natsu and Lucy."

The card mage's eyes widened and she asked, almost incredulously, "Did those two _finally_ get together?"

"I don't know for sure, but Sis," here, the youngest of the takeover siblings motioned to her older sister, "seems to think so. Something about Levy's plan and if I had seen the two of them last night I would understand and…well, I'm not sure I want to understand, but I'm glad she's so happy. I just hope they really _did_ get together–"

"Mira! _Mira!_ It worked!"

The blunette Levy bounded through the doors and Mirajane squealed in excitement. The two clasped hands and twirled around like a duo of overexcited schoolgirls and the other two women watched with unmasked disbelief.

"Well, I guess that answers that," Cana grabbed her morning mug of beer, offered to her by Lisanna, and took a swig. "Now we just have to get your sister hooked up with her man, don't we?"

"Definitely."

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><p>"Mira!" Lucy whined, her head on the bar. "Please stop!"<p>

"I was right!" Mirajane said gleefully, doing a little pirouette behind the bar. "You were in denial the whole time, weren't you Lucy?"

The blonde groaned again. Her face was a bright red, and everyone was feeling pity for her. They all loved the matchmaking Mira, but this excitement was full-force and when the white-haired woman was so enthusiastic about something…it was probably safer to _not_ be in the line of fire. Mirajane was practically _glowing_ she was so excited about the two guild members who made up the newest couple.

"Sis," Lisanna came over to pull Mira away after receiving a begging gaze from the blonde. "Sis, let's leave Lucy alone for a while. She needs to get a few minutes to get used to this before everyone else starts getting in her business, doesn't she?"

"I guess you're right, Lisanna," Mira conceded, nodding and sobering slightly as if she'd never been the crazy rabid fan girl that she'd shown towards Lucy. Natsu was using the bathroom, which is why Mirajane had used the moment to assault Lucy with congratulations and excited chatter about the two of them.

Lisanna was pretty sure that her older sister had even mentioned something about how cute their kids would be and if she knew Lucy, that was what the blazing red on her cheeks was still about.

A devious grin spread across her face, wondering what her older sister's reaction would be when she was hooked up with Fried and _she _was given a taste of her own medicine. Lisanna just couldn't wait, and by the grin that Cana flashed at her after overhearing everything she knew that the brunette was anticipating it, too.

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><p>Mira was humming again as she went out to do some grocery shopping. Nothing had brought her down from this high all day, and for that she was extremely glad because it had been far too long since she'd been so happy. She kind of liked the feeling and briefly wondered if she'd feel this good when she got Gajeel and Levy together–though those two didn't seem like they'd be as hard to push together as Natsu and Lucy had been. It was already clear that Gajeel had feelings for Levy that he recognized, and Mira saw that the blue-haired solid script mage purposely sought Gajeel out sometimes, so there was something there. It was almost disappointing to have part of the challenge taken out of it, but it would still be fun.<p>

Normally, Mirajane would have noticed that she had a small group practically stalking her and she would have rather violently called them out. As happy as she was–practically on a cloud–she didn't notice, so it was a good thing that her stalkers were benign. In fact, the group was made up of five women. The obvious three were Cana and Lisanna, the founders of the Fried and Mira Must Be Together foundation, or FMMBT for short, and Evergreen, their next co-conspirator. The less obvious one were their new additions.

The FMMBT Foundation had recently (as in, five minutes before) enlisted Lucy as another one of their conspirators. After all, Mira had hooked her up with her dream guy, or had helped, so it was the least she could do to help. And in return, she'd help Mira with Levy and Gajeel–though she hadn't told Mirajane that juicy fact yet.

The other new member was Levy, who was excited to see Mira and Fried together because she thought they'd make a cute couple. She was just bubbly and energetic and a great mind to aid the group's plots. She had concocted their plan in just a few seconds and now all they had to do was wait for Mira to do her purchases and have Bixlow (another new addition) set the rest of the plan in motion.

One of his seith dolls was hovering by Lisanna so she could give him the signal so he didn't screw up. He'd have a horde of pissed women on him if he did, and even he knew that it wasn't a good thing to piss off this particular group of women. It might have been worse if Erza was part of the group too, but it was already formidable enough with the others there.

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><p>The white-haired barmaid was used to her grueling shopping trips. They'd been pretty intense ever since her brother's appetite had begun to rise. He didn't just get as buff as he was by exercising, and not even by eating spinach. No, it took some well-cooked and healthy meals from his big sis to get that physique (which, Mirajane thought, Evergreen had begun to take a liking to). Which is why she could be found every Thursday after leaving Fairy Tail out shopping. She often had way too much to carry, but she managed. It was for her family, and they meant everything to her.<p>

Mira was thankful she didn't have to buy eggs, because Elfman didn't like them quite as much as other things and so she wouldn't have to risk dropping them and breaking them. But she still had to get about six loaves of bread, twenty pounds of burger, twenty pounds of pork, ten pounds of bacon (because sometimes he didn't want breakfast but when he did have breakfast he _had_ to have his bacon) some chicken, and then supplies to make other things, like side dishes. So add thirty pounds of potatoes onto the others, because Elfman did like his potatoes, mashed and baked and sliced and fried and as fries and as chips. It didn't matter to him _how_ they were made, as long as he had some type of potato at least five days a week.

So here she was, stumbling under at least eighty pounds of weight, plus the chicken and the bread and the other things but still humming cheerfully about her day.

She had no way of knowing the interference that lurked just around the next corner, all according to Levy's brilliant plan.

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><p><strong>Cliffy! Which is really mean of me because I don't know how long it will be before I can update again…haha. But anyway, I hope this is good enough to satisfy you guys, and I'm really sorry that it's been so long! I'll try to finish by Christmas! (Actually, maybe the last chapter will be Christmas themed…lol. Cliché but cute, right?)<strong>

**Anyway, thanks so much for reading, and I hope you can be patient with me! **


	4. Groceries

**And…you've waited long enough, don't you think?**

**So here's **_**Tell**_** chapter four. Enjoy!**

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><p>"Bixlow, she's almost there!" Lisanna said to the seith doll hovering by her. She didn't even look to see the doll leave but it did, floating away. Cana had been watching it, a smirk hovering on her lips, but she turned her gaze back to the scene that would soon unfold in front of her. Levy was wringing her hands in anticipation, eyes focused on the white-haired barmaid that they all loved like a sister. Lucy was grinning like a devious little fool, excited to see how it would all unravel. Evergreen looked on eagerly, barely even moving a muscle.<p>

Bixlow, for his part, was talking and teasing the other object of their plot, and when his other seith doll came and transmitted the message, he continued with a wider grin than before. Slowly but surely he maneuvered the green-haired Fried Justine into position, chatting at him and taunting him about the approaching and oblivious Mirajane.

And when she was near, when she was right where she was supposed to be, Bixlow gave Fried a shove, said, "Good luck!" and ran like the devil was on his heels (because who knows? Fried and Mira in their badass forms could be on him in a second and he didn't want to know what that felt like).

"Wha–!"

The hiding women all stifled giggles as the green-haired member of the Raijinshuu stumbled back into the white-haired barmaid, then onto his own rear end with the woman (and her purchases) toppling forward across his lap. She let out a high pitched squeal that wasn't usual heard from her and the other women decided that it was time they slipped into various stores so Mira didn't come after them.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall on you–!" Mirajane began without even looking at the man beneath her as she pushed herself up.<p>

"M-Mira! I didn't mean to run into you–Bixlow just pushed me and–where is he?" Fried fumblingly tried, but turned back to her. "L-let me help you with that, Mira."

"Fried!" the white-haired woman let out a little gasp, scrambling back a little more quickly when she realized it was him and secretly thanking her genes that made her blushing only a light pink splash on her cheeks. She didn't even look to see that his cheeks were flushed, too. "I'm so, so sorry!"

"I should be the one apologizing! It's my fault, so don't worry about it," he said, gathering up several of her purchases. "Besides…why don't you ask for help when you go shopping? This is more than you should try to carry by yourself, Mira! You're going to hurt yourself like this."

"Everyone is so busy, I couldn't possibly pull them away!" she protested, gathering her wits and beginning to help pick her things up. "Besides, I've been doing this for a while now, so it's fine. It's better to just get all of the week's shopping done at once, you know, instead of going a few times a week! I get discounts for buying in bulk!"

Mira said this in such a cheerful way that Fried, when he looked at her, had to turn away, his cheeks burning darker. She seemed so happy to be doing this sort of menial task and to be carrying such a heavy load that it shined through. The poor green-haired man couldn't help but notice how utterly beautiful she was when she was so happy. She practically _glowed_, and he suddenly realized that it was part of what drew him to her, like a moth to a flame. Mira had the power to pull him out of his dark places with just a few words or a good thrashing, like when he had blindly followed Laxus' attempt to forcefully take over Fairy Tail. There were just so many things about her that drew him.

"Just ask, Mira," he finally spoke, pulling himself out of his thoughts. "I'm sure that anyone would be glad to help you."

"I couldn't do that!" she made it sound like a crime.

"Then I guess I'll just have to make sure I'm free every Thursday to help you, then," said Fried, before he could even think about the words passing his lips. When he realized what he said, he added, "That way you'll have someone to help and you wouldn't be asking."

"Wha–there's no need, I can handle it–"

"Mira," Fried cut her off, and the determined look in his (gorgeous) eyes made her stop. It was funny, she thought, how just one look, one word, from this green-haired male could make her freeze to hear whatever it was he wanted to say. And so she listened when he said, "I don't think anyone at the guild would approve of how much you try to carry. It's enough for us that you're there everyday, that we get to see your bright and smiling face. So helping you with the groceries is the _least_ I could do. Okay?"

She was silent for a few moments, her blue eyes completely entranced by his emerald ones. The white-haired woman supposed it was only natural that he have a way with words, since he could get so creative with the rules for his barriers sometimes. And that look in his eyes–the fierce look of determination she'd come to associate mostly with her Fairy Tail nakama–just looked so good on him. And the way his coat hugged his form was so alluring…she just couldn't resist taking a few moments to look at him.

"Okay," she responded, turning her gaze away. Her cheeks were heating up fast and she didn't want him to notice.

The way the light struck her when she looked down made Fried, not for the first time, notice how truly beautiful the woman he was falling for, or had fallen for, was. Also not for the first time, he wondered when he had started falling for her, and then he wondered when he'd fallen so _hard_. While he was thinking those thoughts, he had no way of knowing that Mirajane was thinking similar thoughts.

Mira peeked up at Fried and decided that she liked this contemplative expression best because it made him look very mature and quite handsome to boot. And it occurred to her that she couldn't quite remember when she'd started to have feelings for him, or even when she'd realized that she had feelings for him. She just knew that she _did_, and it felt so wonderful to like a man like Fried. He had his bad days, she couldn't deny, but deep down he was loyal and determined and just an all-around good man. A gentleman that her brother probably wouldn't kill.

She shook her head. The white-haired woman couldn't believe she'd let her thoughts stray to that when she didn't have the courage to confess and didn't even know if he'd feel the same way if she did.

So a fairly comfortable silence stretched between them as both continued to gather her groceries. It was with relief that Mira thought it was a good thing they were all packaged and that there were no eggs. Though Mira noticed about halfway through the retrieval of her purchases that Fried was purposely taking most of the larger, heavier objects. She opened her mouth to protest but thought better of it, relaxing as she reached for a loaf of bread. She'd let him get by with it just this once, she reasoned.

Fried had noticed Mira's look and also when she had opened her mouth to speak, but smiled to himself when she decided not to. Another thing he liked about her was that she knew when she would win a battle and when she wouldn't…although that didn't always stop her from trying, which was also admirable in a way.

Neither of them realized that the item they were both reaching for was the last one until their fingers brushed and both drew back a little with shocked gasps. After a moment, Fried retrieved the small coin purse and handed it to Mira, who smiled sheepishly and thankfully at him.

"Thank you," she said as they climbed to their feet. She glanced around at the passersby for the first time since falling on top of him, noticing a few of them glancing her way.

"It's nothing," Fried replied, offering her a gentle smile that made her heart melt, "just lead the way."

And so she did.

* * *

><p>"Here, you can just sit it on the kitchen counter," Mira said after she'd opened the door to the home she shared with her siblings. "Would you like a cup of tea? I usually put some on when I get home. It's a refreshing way to end the day, don't you think?"<p>

"I should probably head–"

"Nonsense! It should only take the tea a few minutes. Take a seat!" Mira smiled at him disarmingly, and Fried knew that he'd be unable to resist.

"If you insist, then," the green-haired man said, following her to the kitchen. She deposited her armload on the counter quickly and motioned for him to do the same, still beaming in the manner that made him weak at the knees. Oh, if only she knew the effect she had on him!

"I do insist," she nodded cheerfully, flouncing over to a cabinet to get some tea bags. Fried tried his best not to watch her, but he couldn't help himself. She moved gracefully across the room and he wondered what it would be like to see her like this every night after an eventful day at the guild. And he couldn't keep his wandering mind from picturing himself holding her in his arms. What he wouldn't give to be able to be this near to her every single day for the rest of his life…to be able to hold her like he did in his dreams or in his daydreams. Not only that, but to be able to help her, and carry her groceries, whenever he wanted to and whenever she needed the help.

He let out a soft sigh that went entirely unnoticed by her as she cheerfully put the kettle on the stove before turning around and clapping her hands as if to say 'that's that!'.

"It'll be a few minutes," she said, smilingly, "so I hope you don't mind if I start putting away the groceries."

"No, not at all," Fried said, making to stand, "is there anything I can help you put away?"

"You sit back down right now, Mister!" she turned and pointed an accusatory finger at him and he edged back toward his seat. "You've helped me enough for one day, so just sit and relax for a while, okay? You deserve it."

"I think you deserve it more, Mira," Fried laughed a little, and she giggled, but he obeyed her, resting an elbow on the table and his chin in his hand so he could watch her. She started humming a little tune as she put things up in the cabinet. Little did Fried know that she was trying to distract herself of thoughts of him and of _them_.

She wondered what it would be like to have him in her kitchen not only on Thursdays, if he kept to his idea of helping her with her groceries, but on every single day of the week. What would it be like if he would just take her in his arms and hold her close as if they didn't have a care in the world but embracing each other? Mira wanted to know, but she couldn't just come out and say something to him, could she…? No. Mira didn't think she could have the courage.

The kettle started whistling and she bustled over to it right away, pouring the tea and sitting across from Fried. The two chatted a half an hour away until a clock somewhere struck nine and Fried excused himself, thanking her for the tea. Mira turned around and thanked him for the company, and he smiled at her just as she smiled at him.

* * *

><p>"It didn't work!" Lisanna groaned, almost pulling her hair out.<p>

"Damn it!" Evergreen swore. "How much more of a push do they need?"

"Don't worry," Lucy grinned deviously. "The guild's Christmas party is next week, right?"

It dawned on all of them at that moment, and Cana clapped the blonde on the back, smirking.

"I have it!" Levy then proclaimed, beaming at all of the others. She motioned them closer to explain the new plan. The downright scary looks of glee on their faces as they dispersed made even Erza wary of whatever the five women were up to, and made her pity whoever they were going to target. She wouldn't stop them, though. After all, how much harm would it cause to let them have a little fun?

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry if it seems rushed. And now you know the way that Mira and Fried should get together! <strong>

**Or do you?**

**I don't want to be cliché, but then cliché is sometimes cute…but then, cliché isn't really**_** me**_**…but then, I wing everything I do. So even I don't know what the next chapter will entail…yet. Haha.**

**I hope you liked it at least a little! Next chapter should be the last one!**


	5. Cake

**I didn't mean to wait this long. It's already almost the end January and you're left woefully lacking the final chapter! And aside from that, I really didn't know how I wanted to end it all. So I hope whatever I come up with as I type will be good enough, haha.**

**Without any more ado, I give you Tell, Chapter The Last.**

* * *

><p>Mira hummed to herself as she put the final touches on the three-layered cake she had made for the guild's Christmas party. She was rather proud of the outcome and paused to admire the dessert upon completion. The white icing was nothing special, that was for sure, but the green that looked like wreaths on the ledges of each layer and the red icing that resembled ribbons and bows made her proud. Around the outside edges of each layer, she had meticulously iced little images of mistletoe. On the very top of the entire cake in red icing was the Fairy Tail insignia with a green bow around its neck.<p>

The white-haired woman finally turned away to look around her kitchen, hands on her hips. She was glad that she'd sent Elfman and Lisanna ahead with all the other food that they had made. Now she just had to find some way to carry all the presents and the cake without ruining the masterpiece it had become. A thoughtful frown crept across her features, causing a small crease in between her delicate eyebrows.

She was still trying to solve the problem five minutes later when there was a knock at the door. Mirajane sighed, wiping her hands off on her apron as she made her way to the door. Without even looking through the peephole, she gripped the knob and turned it. The door swung open to show the snowy streets of Magnolia and, more importantly, a warmly dressed green-haired and green-eyed man standing on her steps.

"Oh, Fried! Come in before you freeze!" Mira stood aside, motioning him inside. The green-haired man stepped in and she closed the door behind him. "I thought you'd be at the guild with everyone else already," the white-haired woman smiled at him, trying to come up with anything to say that wouldn't sound like just babble.

It was hard.

"I was, but Lisanna asked if I would come and help you with a few things," Fried supplied, following Mira into the kitchen.

"You didn't have to do anything of the sort!" Mira whirled around, placing her hands on her hips for the second time in the last ten minutes, but only the first time in front of Fried. "I'm perfectly capable of handling things on my own."

"You were planning on carrying that–" Fried gestured to the three-layered cake, "and the two boxes of gifts that Lisanna said were still here? Please, Mira, didn't I tell you not to take on more than you can handle?"

"I've done it before, what could it hurt to do it again?" she asked innocently, her blue eyes wide and questioning. Fried felt almost as if she knew what she did to him, even when he was certain that she had no idea of his feelings, but he wouldn't let her expression deter him. She didn't need to take so much on her own shoulders and he wanted to teach her to accept help when she should. And like he had told her before, anyone (including himself) would be glad to help her if she needed it.

"Mira," Fried said in a tone that let her know he was displeased by her attitude. She sighed, already knowing what he was going to say when he continued with, "I already told you that anyone would help you if you just asked. Please just let me help now."

"I'd hate to impose or something–" Mira began uncertainly.

"You're not imposing at all," he smiled gently at her as he spoke so that she knew he wasn't angry at her or anything. "I'm offering to help."

"Lisanna asked you to," Mira protested childishly.

"I would have come even if she had just mentioned all that you had to carry," Fried assured the white-haired woman, courageously allowing himself to place a hand on her shoulder. At his gentle touch she looked up to him, hating the light pink she could feel crawling across her cheeks. But _oh_, she loved the feeling of being so close to him in her own kitchen. She loved just the feeling of his hand on her shoulder and she wondered if his embrace would be the same, only on a grander scale. And she wanted to _know_, more than ever before, what he would do if she told him how she felt. But even though she was a strong woman, a great mage, and a caring person in general, she couldn't bring herself to confess the deepest feelings of her heart. As much as she loathed admitting it, she was still a shattered soul from the mistaken 'death' of Lisanna all those years ago.

"Thank you very much then, Fried," she hitched a smile back onto her face, still fighting internally with her feelings for him. "I still don't know how to manage it all. I don't want to ruin the cake while carrying it…"

The usually cheerful woman went back to thinking about her dilemma.

"Mira?" Fried asked after a few moments of her silent contemplation of the dessert she was so proud of.

"I don't know how to move it without it falling over," Mira admitted, sighing. "I'm afraid putting a cover on it would harm it, too. And I'm worried that I'd fall over or slip while carrying it and that would ruin it, too." She ran a hand through her hair.

"Mira, I think I might have a solution," the green-eyed man suggested, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze to get her to look up at him again.

"Really? What?" she quirked an eyebrow and was honestly excited to hear what the man had to say. He was a genius of sorts, after all, and she had no doubt he'd be able to concoct an excellent plan for the safe transport of her current masterpiece.

Fried, in response, held up his rune pen. "I'll put a barrier around it, of course. It's not too hard to make a rule where nothing inside the barrier can move. Will that work?"

Feeling much more excited than she probably should have about the solution, Mira threw her arms around his neck in a quick hug. When she realized what she had done, she let go pretty quickly and smiled at him as though nothing had happened. She felt the burning in her cheeks that meant her pink flush was definitely in evidence but she tried to ignore it, internally scolding herself for letting her feelings take precedence.

"That should be perfect!" Mira gushed, turning her back on him to hide the light flush that crawled even further across her cheeks. "If you don't mind, I'll go change out of this," she plucked at her apron and dress, which were both splattered with flour and icing, "and you can do your barrier. I'll be right back!"

"Take your time, Mira," Fried said, smiling even though she didn't turn around to see.

As soon as the white-haired woman left the room he turned, placing both hands on the cabinet and taking a deep breath as warmth finally began to creep across his cheeks. She was completely tearing down all the walls he'd built and she probably didn't even know it. It was definitely making it harder for him to stay away from her or to keep from telling her that he was utterly infatuated with her.

"Pull yourself together," he whispered to himself, straightening and beginning to write the rune barrier he'd promised his blue-eyed angel. It was a simple matter for him to write the rule that everything within the small area should be frozen in time until he removed the barrier. He'd actually gotten the idea from the Tenrou Island incident and it had worked well for him the few times he had tried it out. Surely it would work just as well for a cake, and he was glad to be able to help his lovely Mirajane in any way he could.

Mira, for her part, closed her bedroom door behind her at around that time and leaned against it, letting out a sigh. A glimpse of herself in the mirror showed that, just as she remembered, her blushes were a very light shade of pink, almost imperceptible, but they were still there. Her hand came up and covered her cheeks as she thought of the hug she'd given Fried on the spur of the moment. What had he thought of her rash move? She didn't want to think about it. What if he'd realized her feelings? What then? How could she go back down and face him after invading his personal space in such an abrupt manner?

"Stop it," the barmaid scolded herself, pushing her body off of the door and beginning to remove her apron. "There's nothing I can do about it now that I've already done it, so I just have to hope for the best."

Her apron was deposited in a clothes hamper on one side of the room and she started with the zipper of her dress before pausing, looking thoughtfully at her reflection.

"…But what _is_ the best?"

Mirajane shook her head quickly to clear it of all possibilities, instead going to her closet to pull out the new dress she'd bought specifically for the Christmas party at the guild. It wouldn't do, she had decided, to dwell on her feelings right now. All she wanted was for everyone in the guild to be happy during this holiday season, and that was that. As long as her sister and her brother and all of her nakama, especially the man in her kitchen, were happy then so, too, was Mirajane.

But sometimes it isn't that simple.

Once again, the white-haired woman shook her head and began to zip up her dress, which was white with a red bow and green embroidery around the hem and the bust and the ends of her sleeves. She loved how it looked on her and was glad that Lisanna had helped her pick it out over the weekend. It was small moments of sisterly bonding time that Mira had missed out on all those years that her sister had been stuck in Edolas, and when she got the chance to make up for lost time, she'd do all she could.

The beautiful cover-girl was shocked when she found that she couldn't zip the dress all the way up. She couldn't reach. Mira opened her mouth to call for Lisanna before abruptly realizing that the only other person in the house right now was _him_. Fried Justine. Another glance in the mirror showed that her light pink flush was back with a vengeance and she let out a sigh. She couldn't very well go to Fairy Tail without her dress fully zipped up, and Fried was a nice guy, right? She wasn't showing anything indecent, so it would be perfectly innocent to ask him for help.

The thought still made her warm and embarrassed.

"There's no helping it," she told herself softly, picking a pair of red, heeled boots out of her closet. She carried them out of the room with her and back to the front door, sitting them on the linoleum before taking a deep breath and starting toward the kitchen. She raised her voice and said, "Fried? Could I ask a favor?"

Hearing her calling him when he hadn't even heard her leave her room startled him, but he immediately answered, "Of course I can, Mirajane. What did you need?"

He turned around to spot the oddly timid takeover mage in the doorway. She was wringing her hands and this time he noticed the light pink across her face. He wanted to know what was making her look like that, because he thought she looked amazing. The dress she was wearing worked perfectly on her and he felt heat crawling across the back of his neck but fought to make sure it didn't spread to his cheeks.

"I can't zip this all the way," she said softly, turning her back to him. There were about five inches at the top of her dress left unzipped. "Would you mind…?"

Fried was dumbfounded for a few moments, then said, "Of course not," and stepped over to her. It was a challenge to keep his footsteps even as he made his way over to her. As he gently grasped the zipper and pulled it up, he tried to sort through his muddled thoughts for something to say to her. Finally, he settled on saying, "You look beautiful, Mira," as he stepped away from her. She turned around to him and smiled sheepishly.

"Thank you," Mira knew that Fried would understand that she was thanking him for both zipping her dress and for his compliment. She then noticed that he'd unbuttoned his coat since she'd gone to change and said, "You look quite handsome yourself."

_Oh. My. God, _she thought suddenly. Wasn't she just flirting with him? She could have sworn she'd just batted her eyelashes at him, which _definitely_ wasn't normal for her.

"I'm afraid you far outdo me, but thank you," he smiled good-naturedly at her and she couldn't help but smile back.

"We should get going before Lisanna and Elfman come looking," Mira suggested, picking up a white purse from the table and slinging it over her shoulder. "Would you carry the cake for me?"

"Of course," Fried felt like he'd said that too many times tonight, but he couldn't help it. Didn't she know he'd do anything she asked of him? She just had to look at him and he was hers, utterly and completely. Didn't she know just what she did to him yet? It seemed to him that she must, or that she must be close to figuring it all out, because he knew he hadn't done a very good job of hiding it over the last week, since he'd helped her with her groceries that first time.

"Thank you!" the smile that the white-haired woman shot the green-haired man made him wonder why no one else had ever been so smitten. Or rather, it made Fried wonder why no one had ever wooed her and earned her affection, effectively stealing her from his grasp. She was simply too amazing a woman to be devoid of suitors.

It was right then, as the cheerful barmaid flounced back into the other room to put on her shoes and pick up the boxes of gifts, that Fried Justine decided that he didn't want to let anyone else steal her away. He didn't want someone else to earn her affections before he could even try. So, then, didn't that mean he'd have to start trying? Because if he never tried to get her to feel the same then she probably never would, and he couldn't let it drop without at least trying.

For now, though, he'd carry her masterpiece of a cake to the guild and walk with her, monopolizing as much of her time as he could.

Mira glanced up when he entered the living room, the cake before him, smiled briefly, and continued to slide her arms into the sleeves of her coat. She had already put her boots on and was getting ready to pick up the two boxes stacked on the arm of the sofa precariously. Fried had spotted them on the floor by the Christmas tree when he'd come in, so she must have put them there when she began to put on her shoes. She was always so thoughtful.

"Well," Mira said once she had the door opened and gestured for Fried to go through, "let's go!"

Fried thanked her and stepped carefully down the steps and turned to watch her balance the two boxes on one arm while she pulled the door closed behind her. She turned the knob once the door was closed to make sure she had locked it. Once she was assured of that, she shifted the boxes to both arms and stepped up next to the green-haired man and the two began to walk towards Fairy Tail.

It didn't matter that the two were silent for much of the walk, because just being together was enough for right then. The Christmas season was all about being together for the mages of Fairy Tail, and remembering the time that they had lost with their nakama, and so, even though both wanted to be more than the other's friend, this time together was enough. For right now.

* * *

><p>Lisanna sighed at the fact that her sister had taken up the job of a barmaid again. No matter how many times Lisanna asked Mira to take a break, the older sibling just kept going right back to serving drinks to their already mostly tipsy guild members.<p>

"We're never going to get the two of them to dance together," she groaned to Cana in a low voice, watching her older sister. "Levy's plan isn't working!"

It sounded strange to say that Levy's plan wasn't working.

"Maybe we just need to push a little more?" Lucy suggested timidly, stopping by for a break after dancing with Natsu.

"How do we push harder without it looking like we're trying to push them together?" Levy demanded, disheartened. "It's not like we can just go pull Mira away from the bar and drag her to Fried and shove them together and tell them to have fun!"

"We could," Cana shrugged, "but I don't see that approach doing much."

"Exactly," Lisanna and Levy agreed simultaneously.

Evergreen, who had been silent so far, let a devious little grin come across her face. "Well, girls," she said, sitting up straighter. "I'll be off to talk to Fried about a certain someone who's been ogling our dear sweet Mirajane from afar."

"What…?" Lucy and Levy asked, slightly confused, but Lisanna and Cana let smirks similar to Evergreen's creep across their features.

"Don't you get it?" Cana asked the other two girls, turning to them with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Evergreen's going to tell Fried about some entirely fictitious man who's devilishly handsome and extremely charming. She's going to tell Fried that he's a photographer for _The Weekly Sorcerer_ or something like that, maybe even that it's a mage from Lamia Scale or Blue Pegasus and that he's got his eyes set on Mirajane and _only_ Mirajane. It's going to make Fried jealous and then she's going to prod his pride by telling him he needs to get a move on or the fictitious guy is going to steal Mira from him and if Fried's a man at all, he'll go ask her to dance."

"I don't know," Lucy said, twirling hair around her finger. "Isn't that a bit of an overused technique? Fried's a smart guy. Don't you think he'll recognize it?"

"Honestly, he's so smitten with her I don't think he'd even try to connect a fake man to the story," Evergreen rolled her eyes. "He wouldn't doubt that _someone_ out there is after her."

"It's worth a try," Levy nodded firmly, "I'll try to think of something else if that fails."

"We're counting on you, Ever," said Lisanna as the woman of the Raijinshuu stood up to leave the table. "Don't let us down!"

Evergreen laughed and waved over her shoulder as she made her way over to where Bixlow was obviously tormenting Fried once more. Cana lounged back in her seat, lifting her tankard to her lips as she watched the events begin to unfold. Lisanna's eyes wandered around the guild, flicking to her sister occasionally but more often snapping back to where Evergreen had sat down with her teammates. Lucy was dragged off by Natsu for more dancing, though her eyes did keep going back to the table where Fried sat and Levy stared off into the distance in Evergreen and Fried and Bixlow's general direction, thinking about what they would do if Evergreen's plan failed.

Mirajane, oblivious to the plots involving she and the green-haired man she'd fallen for, was happily serving Max and Visitar.

* * *

><p>"Hey," Evergreen greeted as she practically glided into the seat beside Fried. "Why aren't you over there talking to your woman? Or dancing with her, even?"<p>

"She's busy," Fried said, swilling the last bit of his red wine around in his glass. Evergreen smiled a little as he said belatedly, "And she's not my woman."

"Not _yet_," Bixlow said, his five little seith dolls repeating the words.

"Actually, if he doesn't do something soon he might not get the chance to," said the brunette, leaning back in her chair and letting her eyes skim across her fellow guild members. She was putting her plan in motion. "There's this one guy from another guild that's been hanging around sometimes and sending her letters. He's absolutely smitten with her, would you believe it? And he doesn't even have the courage to talk to her."

_Bingo_, the woman thought to herself smugly. Fried sat up straighter in his chair, trying not to seem interested but she could tell he was listening to her every word.

"I can't remember his name, but I know he doesn't want to settle for anything less than Mirajane herself. And he's not too bad on the eyes. He's got gorgeous blue eyes and his hair looks so _soft_ and—Fried, where are you going?"

He didn't answer her.

"You planned that out beforehand, didn't you?" Bixlow's voice betrayed his grin.

"Didn't you?" repeated five times as the seith dolls circled their heads.

"Planned what?" Evergreen asked with false innocence, eyes following the rune mage as he made a beeline for the area Mirajane was serving in. Lisanna had found herself a barstool nearby, perhaps so she could offer to take her older sister's place.

"Thought so," Bixlow relaxed in his chair with a laugh, eyes also following his teammate.

* * *

><p>"Thanks, Mira," Wakaba said, then began one of his lame attempts to pick her up, but she breezed back behind the bar. She mixed up the drink that Laki had asked for and placed it on the countertop in front of the wood mage, who also thanked her. Mirajane smiled at her and waved it off, picking a few dirty glasses up was she made her way back toward her usual spot.<p>

"Mirajane," a voice said and she stopped after placing the glasses in the sink, turning to look at the person who'd hailed her. Green hair and green eyes met her gaze and she immediately smiled at the man leaning across the bar.

"Fried! What can I get for you?"

"How about another glass of wine—" he began and when she turned to get it, she felt a light grasp on her wrist and returned her gaze to him as he continued, "—after a dance?"

"Ooh, that's a great idea, Fried!" Lisanna suddenly piped up from a few barstools away. "Mira, you deserve a break after all the hard work you've done tonight, and I'm sure everyone else would agree with it! I'll take over the bar for the rest of the night, okay?"

"Wha—Lisanna, I—" Mira fumbled for words, her cheeks burning.

"It wouldn't do for you to overwork yourself, Mira," Fried broke in, and Lisanna inwardly cheered. "If you don't want to dance, will you at least come have a glass of wine and a chat?"

"Oh—I, um…a dance would be nice," the white-haired woman finally piped up, a smile starting to spread across her face. She just couldn't help herself. What he was offering seemed so much like what a couple would do that it made her heart beat faster and her cheeks burn even hotter than before. She felt stupid for taking so long to answer. He might have taken it to mean that she didn't want to dance with him and that was an impression she definitely hadn't wanted to leave him with.

"Then what are you waiting for, Sis?" Lisanna asked, already behind the bar and giving her older sister a gentle shove toward the exit. "Go have fun! I've got everything under control over here. And Fried, thanks for making her see sense! I've been telling her for hours that she should take a break!"

The youngest white-haired sibling waved the oldest away happily, arm in arm with the green-haired Fried Justine. She flashed her thumbs up at the table where Evergreen had rejoined Cana and Levy, and the woman who'd begun this turn of events, Evergreen, flashed one back. Lisanna then turned to serving drinks and washing glasses, as her sister often did, while Mira was led toward the dance floor. Cana waved to Lucy, who in turn rushed to Lyra and asked her to play a slow song for Fried and Mirajane.

"I have the perfect song!" Lyra said happily to Lucy, and the blonde grinned at her celestial spirit.

"Great!"

* * *

><p>A slow song began to play as soon as Fried and Mira reached the area cleared as the dance floor. Fried felt the back of his neck burning and realized that he couldn't believe that he was doing all of this right now. He was about to dance with the most beautiful woman in the entire world, and a slow song starts to play. Slow songs, he knew, were definitely more meaningful to a woman, especially when they cared for whoever it was they were dancing with, and he hoped that she didn't mind dancing with him.<p>

"Shall we?" Fried asked, pulling a fancy little bow and holding out his hand to Mirajane, using a bit of flamboyance to hide his nervousness. He was rewarded by her light, tinkling laugh.

"We shall," she agreed then, placing her hand in his.

And they were off.

And _oh_, it was so _glorious_, she thought to herself as they spun around gracefully. It was so amazing to be in his arms, waltzing, as if no one else was there. And to him it was the same way, especially when the gorgeous woman in his arms was laughing and looking for all the world as though she was having the _best_ night of her entire life. Who was he to deny her that?

He was content with this, dancing with her and being the reason for her smile.

He wanted to just _tell_ her, of course, but he couldn't bring himself to do that right now. He would, sometime tonight or maybe tomorrow, but not right now. Fried knew he couldn't wait much longer or he would lose her, but he still was trying to figure out how to work up the courage to do it.

Everything was perfect.

And then Natsu and Gray got into a fight and sent the leftovers on the food table flying. The entire guild was showered in it as Erza separated the two culprits. Mira and Fried were brought down off of cloud nine and just stared dumbly at each other before grins broke across their faces. Mira's cake was splattered over and around the two of them, Fried having taken the brunt of the blow. A decorated piece slid a fraction of an inch on the top of his head as Mira watched, and she giggled into her hand.

"That look suits you," she teased him, brushing some cake off of his shirt.

"And you," he remarked just as teasingly, plucking a small piece of cake out of her white hair.

The two were interrupted, however, by Levy McGarden's excited squeal as the rest of the guild settled down some.

"Fried! You've got mistletoe on your head!"

And she was right. It just so happened that the piece of Mira's painstakingly decorated cake that rested on his head had one of her delicate icing-created images of mistletoe adorning it. Lisanna, seeing this, decided that they couldn't have planned anything this perfect. Because really, how could they make it more perfect than _that_?

"I what…?" Fried asked uncomprehendingly as Mira turned to look at Levy, eyes wide. She had clearly understood what the girl had said.

"I _said_," Levy repeated herself impatiently, "that you _have mistletoe on your head_!"

"I have m – how do I have _mistletoe_ on my _head_?"

"M-my cake," Mira supplied, making a laugh bubble up. It didn't sound too forced, but the blush on her cheeks was noticeable even through the food. And those too words were enough for the rune mage to comprehend as he recalled the grand cake.

And then he started laughing.

After all of his confusion, after trying to figure out some way, _any_ way, to tell her how her felt for her, and after having to tell himself to _not_ think about kissing her…this happens. And it's not a foolproof way to confess, certainly, but he'd do it anyway. His laughter died out then after a few moments, and he prepared himself mentally even as he began to put his decision into action.

Without any further ado, Fried Justine leaned forward and pressed his lips to Mirajane's. His green eyes slid closed quickly and her bright blue ones widened in surprise and in disbelief. She, too, let her eyelids slide over her eyes and her hands fell on his chest and she let herself go by kissing him back.

Fried was surprised, of course, but he couldn't complain about it. After all, her lips on his were like a dream come true and there was no way he wanted this to end now. He understood that this could be the only time he'd ever kiss her like that, but since she was kissing back he now felt he had the right to hope for more than he had previously dared.

And neither of them noticed when the 'mistletoe' fell off of his head with a dull splatter onto the floor.

They parted when they became aware of wolf-whistles and cheers emanating from their fellow guild members, cheeks flushed. The back of Fried's neck burned from embarrassment but he wouldn't have traded what had just happened for anything.

And then it slipped out, simultaneously, from both of their lips.

"I like you."

It wasn't a full-blown confession, for each of them had chickened out at saying they _loved_ the other at the very last second, but it was enough. And at the impromptu confession on both parts, they grinned and began to laugh again, Fried sweeping his cake-covered beauty into his arms. As the music started up again, another idea came to his mind and he stepped back from her.

With a flamboyant bow once more, he asked, "May I have this dance?"

"Of course," Mirajane smiled, sliding back within the span of his arms.

And it wasn't how either of them had expected to come together, but the simple truth was that they _had_ come together and that it _was_ just as simple as telling the other how they had felt. But now they were together, and in each other's arms, and that's all that they, and those who had conspired to get them together, really cared about right now.

* * *

><p><strong>THE END<strong>

**Somehow, I don't feel like it's as good as I would have liked, but I'm satisfied. I should have had this out MUCH earlier, and I'm sorry about the delay! I've been playing around with my original stories again and I've also run into another slight snag on my NaLu stories, which always puts me in a brief slump. I know that's not really an excuse and I'm really sorry for the long wait for the last chapter. On the upside, the story is right around 5000 words without the Author's Notes, so I hope you liked it!**

**Thanks to everyone who stuck with me until this, then end!**

**And mistletoe is cliche, yes, but is mistletoe _cake_ cliche? HA.**


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